Once upon a time, a prince arrived in America, riding into Santa
Barbara atop a magnificent dark bay polo pony (after deplaning from
a dark gray helicopter). The prince was clearly a confident, strong
young man and had brought along his princess with him: 5-foot-10
beauty, a stunning combination of movie star and
girl-next-door.

The occasion for their visit was two-fold: the celebration of
the 100th anniversary of the Santa Barbara Polo Club and a luncheon
and polo match--a fundraiser for the couple’s charity, The American
Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Within minutes of their arrival, the newly titled couple, the Duke
and Duchess of Cambridge, had captured the hearts of the thousands
there to greet them. That day, they were simply ‘William’ and
‘Kate,’ and the afternoon had just begun. The meet-and-greet was
first on their agenda. With my daughter, granddaughter and
son-in-law, Andy Busch, I was privileged to spend a delightful five
minutes chatting with the royal couple. What could have been a
nervewracking experience, they made friendly and easy with their
warmth and cordial ways.

The spectacular setting of the Santa Barbara Polo Club--with the
ocean goal at one end and mountain goal at the other--was
transformed into a tented, fairy-tale panorama. Tables of ‘Tiffany
blue’ graced the main tent where the luncheon, courtesy of
celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, was served alongside
overflowing centerpieces of all-white hydrangeas, peonies and
tulips. As main sponsor, Tiffany designed the beautiful
hand-crafted trophy, fashioned of sterling silver and 18K gold
vermeil with heads of polo ponies as handles. Other major sponsors
included Audi, whose fleet of sleek A8s led the parade of horses
and transported William and Kate around the field, and Royal Salute
Scotch whiskey, which offered samples to anyone not drinking
Champagne or Budweiser.

Ambassador Glen Holden, trustee of Santa Barbara Polo Club for
37 years and mastermind of the event, introduced the prince to the
600 luncheon guests.

When it was his turn at the podium, the prince proclaimed that
the club has to be “one of the most beautiful polo grounds anywhere
in the world,” adding that his father and brother were “as green as
that grass outside when I told them I’d be here today.” Primarily
on his mind was the enormous amount of money--more than $5
million--raised for the princes’ foundation. “We are focusing on
helping military veterans and their families...We also want to give
the most disadvantaged in society hope and confidence in their
lives. We feel very passionately about this.” When asked if he
would return soon, he replied, “It completely depends on the result
today. I’m not a good loser.” Luckily for the prince and for Santa
Barbara, he was not a loser. Teamed with Glen Holden, Jr., Santi
Trotz and Andy Busch on the Royal Salute team, the prince scored
four goals for a storybook win. Reflecting on the afternoon, Busch
said, “In my mind, Prince William was no doubt today’s MVP.”

Later that evening, when I had a chance to talk alone with Andy,
he expressed real joy at being part of an effort to raise money for
the many worthwhile causes supported by the Foundation of Prince
William and Prince Harry. As you know, the Busch family has a
history of supporting similar causes, as well as conservation and
environmental issues, over the years. I asked him how it felt to be
besieged by media all afternoon about William and Kate. “They all
kept prodding me to tell them something sensational, more
interesting than what I kept saying about them,” he says. “But the
fact is that the duke and duchess were kind, easy to be with, and
very approachable young people--the kind of role models we need
now--and that’s the truth.”

Walking the red carpet at the match were several celebrities,
including California governor Jerry Brown, Pat Sajak, Molly Sims,
Nicollette Sheridan, Billy Zane and Rob Lowe. But all eyes were on
William and Kate: The Prince in polo whites and a navy blue blazer,
Kate in a hand-painted chinoiserie silk dress by Jenny Packham, a
sophisticated, floaty creation that fluttered charmingly all
afternoon in the cool breeze off the Pacific. This was a very
special afternoon in a very special place, with two very special
people. May they defy the odds and live happily ever after.